Noble Monarchy of Mankind
The Noble Monarchy of Mankind is a massive, sector-spanning empire that is the major authority of all of mankind in the 20th millennium. Ruled by the living demigod High King Prosperus II of House von Hitzen, it is embroiled in constant warfare between all the sentient races of the Galaxy. Despite the massive majority of its citizens being of pure human descent, several species of demihumans are considered the bulk of the slave labor that endlessly toils on the most brutal worlds to colonize. The founder of the Noble Monarchy of Mankind was the sixth High King of Mankind, Prosperus I, in the 14th millennium, the first true leader of Mankind who unified the then-fledgling worlds into one massive empire. Since his death in 472.14, the noble succession has passed to High King Prosperus II, the most powerful human ever to live, and has been built and expanded in great magnitude since his coronation on the planet of Jarvan V. The most influential measure he has passed was the Lux Rexus, which instated in him the utmost power of immortality and installed him as the highest political and religious figure of the race. To be alive in the 20th millennium is to know that your race has been propagated on the backs of uncounted trillions of people, and that you must dedicate your life to expanding the Monarchy to a galaxy-spanning rule in the name of the High King, and to establish Mankind's true destiny of being the sole race of the universe. It is a hostile and dangerous life, from terrifying worlds to the massive planet-spanning cities of Royal Worlds. Most worlds are ruled directly by the Planetary Lord, who pays homage and tributes in the form of materials and manpower alike to the Subsector Lord, and truly to the existence of mankind itself. Were the Monarchy to fall, so too would mankind, destroyed by the countless foes that it has made in the process of claiming its rightful rule. As a general rule, the Monarchy promotes a neo-feudalistic society and any form of revolutionary behavior or 'democracy' is put down, sometimes violently. While repressive, this has built a somewhat stable and effective mode of government for controlling hundreds of star systems. Every world has a Planetary Lord, which commands and governs the planet, and personally oversees the further divisions of the planet by awarding various nobles with titles pertaining to their work. On a subsector level, there is a King, who watches over and macromanages between several dozen and a hundred worlds, and directly pays fealty to the High King and his Council, while commanding the tribute of each world in his domain. Finally, the High King commands the entirety of Mankind, and uses the tribute of manpower to command the endless wars in Mankind's name. While he generally does not interfere with planetary politics, he has the power to dispose of any noble that he sees as an unworthy candidate. Beset on all sides by the numerous enemies of Mankind -- the Voltron, Encarmine, Anasazi, Bol, Esper, and Nasaki, to name a few -- all have the common goal of expansion to become the sole sentient race in the galaxy. Using the endless forces of Mankind, the battle for sole supremacy has been waged ever since the discovery of the other major powers. Without the authoritarian and repressive approach of the Monarchy, Mankind would have fallen long ago to these powers. Table of Contents # History of Mankind #* Prehistory #* Early Monarchy #* Star Crusade #* Endless War # The Monarchy #* Planetary Governing #* Royal Ranks # The Council of War #* Royal Armada #* Royal Guard #* The Immortals #* Army of Mankind # The Council of Technology #* Technocrats # The Council of Faith #* Shrine Worlds #* The Holy Guard # Language in the Kingdom # Voidshapers in the Kingdom # Travel in the Kingdom #* Sub-light Travel #* Faster Than Light Travel # Threats to the Monarchy #* The Voltron #* The Encarmine #* The Anasazi #* The Bol #* The Esper #* The Nasaki # Science Fiction Influences History of Mankind The Monarchy was founded in the year 4,000 (000.M4) by the Demigod High King Prosperus I of House von Hitzen, on the planet Earth. The first High King, Prosperus I, was imbued with the power of the Faith at birth as a pseudo-immortal being of strength only surpassed by his son, Prospero II. As soon as he matured, he strove to unite the then-independent colonies of Mankind through ways of war and peace alike, in a massive campaign known as the Star Crusade after the passing of the Lux Rexus. After his death in 472.M14, the end of the Star Crusade came, and with it the beginning of the endless war of expansion on all fronts. Prehistory Before the rule of Prosperus I, the 1,500 year span of colonization of stars is known as the First Crusade. During this time, humanity colonized many hundreds of worlds in the name of Mankind, and most of these worlds achieved some semblance of independence from the then fractured politics of Earth. During this time, the first semblance of what is now known as Voidshaping came to light, which allowed the first faster than light travel to be established. The forms of the Star-gods now known to the Faith existed, though weakly, evolving from the first ancient religions of Earth. In the year 3,940 (940.M3), the birth of Prosperus I caused the Star-gods to establish their first hold in Realspace in the form of an avatar of godlike power, who assumed rule of Mankind itself. Human civilization before the Star Crusade was fragmented, and with little being known about Voidshaping, many of the colonies were forced to adopt independence from the rest of mankind. Those that survived the harsh realities of many of the colonies took on various forms, and in some cases mutated the colonists to certain extents. While many of these mutants are executed on sight, some with exceptional use are put to use to certain tasks, especially those with potent voidshaping powers, regardless of the extent of their physical mutation. On Earth, the planetary government was fragmented into many countries, and disunified to the highest degree. Wars, disease, and poverty was rampant before the coming of the first High King. Before the birth of Prosperus I, the human race seemed to be on the brink of stagnation on Earth and many other colonies. Early Monarchy High King Prosperus I was born in the region once known as Germany in the year 940.M3. As he matured, he slowly took control of his region of birth. As he expanded through a period known as World War V, he unified the world into what is now known as the Noble Monarchy of Mankind. He established a trio of councils -- the Council of War, the Council of Technology, and the Council of Faith -- to administer the majority of laws and regulations he has put in place. With the enactment of Lux Rexus, which established him as the sole ruler of Mankind, he spread forth from what is now known as the Royal Segment, a collection of star systems near the capital of Earth. From the Royal segment, he expanded about halfway through the size of what is now known as Light's Hope. As he conquered some worlds and brought others under his sway, he encountered the first prominent resistance of Mankind. A race, only known as the Great Enemy, posed the first major threat to the existence of mankind. In a brutal war spanning hundreds of years, Mankind utterly decimated the first threat to their supremacy and wiped almost every trace of their existence from the galaxy. The Great Enemy, whose true name is lost to the passage of time and the efforts of the Council of Faith to wipe their very existence off of the galaxy, was the first true intelligent species encountered by the Monarchy. Only once the galactic branch of Light's Hope was unified under the Noble Monarchy did the High King encounter the true threats that lie beyond the stars. The Star Crusade In the year 400.M13, after the galactic branch of Light's Hope was unified under the flag of the Monarchy, Mankind truly cemented their place on the galactic scale of superpowers. The second crusade, known as The Star Crusade, was the term noted for several wars against a large number of small empires in the region known as the Broken Stars, to the galactic east of Light's Hope, against the unified faction of six alien species known as the Unified Coalition. Built of the cooperating efforts of Yllar, Merra, and Gorsek empires, they unified under the common threat of expansion from Mankind. It was during this time the technology for the Immortals was developed in a secret laboratory on the Throne World of Jarvan V, a key weapon for conquering in the second intergalactic war of Mankind. In knowledge of this, the treaty known as the Pact of Jarvan V was created for the development and management of the new technology that was built during this time, a special agreement for the clerical nature of the military. The year 410.M13 brought upon the first conflict of the war in the Battle of Makuria, where a unified force of the Immortals and the Army of Mankind fought against a large horde of Gorsek on the planet and space in the system Makuria Prime. Spanning almost half a year of pure battle, and reinforcements of the Yllar and Merra arriving, Mankind prevailed by effectively destroying the planet using the stolen technology of the Breaker Missile. After evacuating all of the soldiers and civilians on the planet, the Unified Coalition landed most of their troops in celebration of a supposed long-awaited victory of the battle. Heralded by the Royal Armada gathering in the space around the world, the Breaker Missile was launched by the Leviathan-class Warship known as the Imperial Dominus ''at the time of 0400 Earth Standard Time. ''Within the span of several hours, the planet was broken apart at the very seams of its core, and utter destruction was wrought upon the world. By the dawn of the next day, the planet was little more than a shattered collection of asteroids and shards, with the majority of the United Coalition forces in soldiers and navy being evaporated. This action was the first known action now known as Abolishment, a measure only taken in drastic need for the wholesale destruction of a world. After the Battle of Makuria, and the stolen technology gained from the pillaged remnants of the United Coalition, the region known as the Broken Stars was almost fully under control of Mankind. In the year 472.M14, the last battle of the Star Crusade was fought in the system of Galasus 32. Desiring to personally oversee the second triumphant victory over a galactic empire, High King Prosperus I personally commanded the forces of the Army and Immortal branches of the Council of War during the battle. On the planet of Galasus, after pacifying the rest of the system with the help of the Royal Armada's bombardment, High King Prosperus I personally landed on the planet surface, forcing the denial of the use of Abolishment as a matter of honor and pride against this threat. However, as the forces of Mankind came to surround the final stronghold of the United Coalition, High King Prosperus I met with the first true tragedy of war. Using a secretly developed sword known as the ''Incinerator, ''and wielded by the Yllar Head of State Kris T'Kur, the days' long duel between High King Prosperus I himself and the alien warlord met with a surprising defeat. Using the power enveloped in the weapon by their own force of Star Gods, admittedly greatly weakened by the diminished races, Kris T'kur executed the once-king and ended the duel in a single thrust through his heart. Using the power of the legendary weapon, he ripped apart every fiber of his being and tore his soul from the body, using it to feed the power of their Gods in one final desperate move. Unfortunately for the Coalition, his heir and now-High King Prosperus II was present at the battle and charged the legendary alien as he channeled the power, disrupting the ritual and unleashing the power of his father's soul into himself, greatly increasing his already-mighty form into what he is today, and slaying the warlord. In a matter of hours, the stronghold was razed to the ground and the aliens exterminated from the planet's surface. After the battle was concluded, and the alien forces routed to the few surviving sanctuaries they still hold, the unconditional surrender was forced upon the alliance. With most of their worlds taken for the recolonization of mankind, the few worlds they still hold onto have been largely unnoticed by the majority of Mankind due to the low level of threat they pose, as they dare not raid any world held by the forces of the Monarchy. With the foes pacified, the end of the Star Crusade drew near and Mankind drew their second great victory on the galactic stage. Endless War In the 20th millennium, there is war between all sorts of aliens and no hope for peace with each empire dreaming over the idea of sole dominance in the galaxy. Between the Voltron, Encarmine, Anasazi, Bol, Esper, and Nasaki, among other small aliens that inhabit the galaxy, the enemies of mankind are many. It is war on all fronts, and the Monarchy of mankind do not intend on stopping the wars. The Voltron, Encarmine, and Anasazi pose the most dangerous threats due to the close borders of their territory, however the others and many more stage raiding parties on a regular basis on the fringes of mankind's territory. This is desperate war, with the threat of extinction on all fronts for both sides of the war. Territory is gained and lost within years of each other, and those on the borders do not live a peaceful life, or a very long one. The Throne Worlds must not fall at any cost, and are defended to the very last man when they are under the rare threat, and massive battles have been staged at them. Long live the High King, who protects Mankind under his benevolent rule. The Monarchy The monarchy is divided into several denominations, including the Nobility, who rule each and every planet in the territory, as well as the several councils that hold sway over various aspects of rule. The Council of War, Council of Faith, and Council of Technology advise the High King on all matters pertaining to their charge, and those nobles under him swear direct fealty to those above them. Lords of all sorts pay a tribute in the form of material and manpower, 30% of what they produce, however certain categories of worlds are exempt from this tribute, or even receive a tribute of themselves if they are important enough. Nonetheless, all of mankind is expected to follow by these strict guidelines and life is one of toil and work for all members of the race. Those who follow the path of the soldier rarely return home after their work is complete, a sacrifice that must be made for the survival of mankind, and if they do, they are never the same person that once left their home for glory and honor. Planetary Governance Planets are governed on a local basis by the Planetary Lord, who pays fealty to the King of the Subsector, who rules over swathes of expanse on a large basis, and deals with any threats that come to his territory. Varying by the classifications of the planets in his charge, the daily work of a King may vary on a large basis. Commanding the manpower that are tributes to him, he is in charge of the defense of his worlds by the encroachment of alien species, and manages the material tributes for the creation of machines of war and defense. Depending on the classification and danger of the world, this may amount from little more than a stationary Planet Guard, to massive shipments of guards to defend against any threat. Regardless, the life expectations are young and many do not return, even in a casket. Those planets rich in material, or populated by humans in the trillions, are the most important worlds under the Monarchy. The planetary lord is in charge of the exploitation of these resources for the infrastructure of the world, and the quality can vary greatly, from almost medieval worlds to massive, world-spanning cities of glorious quality and power. Whichever is the case, they all are given the chance to become part of the Monarchy and must pay fealty to the High King whether it is by force or by diplomacy. Towards members of mankind, the monarchy is often rather benevolent, with the notable exception of demihuman inhabitants who often are relegated to an almost slave caste and treated with disdain and begrudging tolerance. Crime and rebellion is rampant in some sectors, and these are met with harsh punishments, for there is no crime as dire as treason against mankind. While this is always put down with violence and control regained one way or another, the demands are rarely met in any form, and unconditional surrender is the ultimate goal of any war against these traitors. As long as the world pays a stable and respectful tribute, there is often no trouble and they can feel safe under the protection of the High King, as long as they continue to serve under his rule. Interplanetary travel is often done under sub-light speed travel and may even take years for communication to travel intersystem, a rudimentary and inefficient method that is only met with disdain, but done out of necessity and the lack of many suitable voidshapers used to travel at faster than light speeds. Notable exceptions include the incursion of enemies in the system, which is always met with immediate reinforcement if required, or sending calls out via long range communication systems for help. While planetary lords are often stubborn and unhelpful to each other, it is a known fact that they each must contribute to the well being of mankind and defend each other at all costs in begrudging alliances against a common enemy. Royal Ranks The Royal system is that which grasps even the smallest of worlds. On a large basis, the rank directly under the High King is a King which rules over large swathes of space and often reside on a Throne World and attends various councils if the situation calls for it to work together with other kings. Below the kings are the System Lords, who govern the planetary lords and make sure that the tribute is efficiently being taxed and that there are no signs of rebellion in proper form, however most planetary lords are made to deal with these unwelcome ideals by themselves, unless they require help, which they rarely call the need for. Planetary lords are beneath system lords, and govern entire planets regardless of the classification and style, except for throne worlds which are ruled directly by the king of the sector. This planetary lord is in charge of the distribution of various titles to the members of planetary nobility, which varies by planet, but is often in the form of knights, dukes, and earls. Dukes control territory and make sure efficient exploitation is being taken care of, while knights of the High King are in charge of the military and mobilization of the planet in times of threat. Regardless of the nobility ranking, all are assumed to pay loyalty to the High King, although rebellious nobles do exist and are met with swift execution of the guilty family. Titles are most often passed through hereditary lines unless the line has died, in which case another local noble will take charge of the placement in a promotion rarely seen, as most worlds allow both the eldest sons and daughters to inherit the title. Often, the arranged marriages that are done for many inherit the higher title, and this is cause for a direct game of politics that must be played if one is a noble of a royal house. All nobles are considered part of the royal charge, and there is little to dispute this due to fear of pacification of the world. Those loyal are rewarded with territory, merits, or promotion in ranks, if they succeed in their tasks of rule. The Council of War The Council of War directly governs the massive armies of mankind in all forms, with regard to the separate governance of the Immortals, which are controlled by merit and depend on the various forms of tactics built for each throne world. The constituent parts of this council are the Royal Armada, the Royal Guard (those elite members, often immortals or exceptionally talented humans, that are tasked with protecting the higher nobles as bodyguards), the Immortals and the Army of Mankind. It is ruled by 17 members that are those members of king-level families who show aptitude for war, and this title is passed on not by hereditary means but by the merit of those talented generals that are of the level of controlling the full scale army of mankind. While this council usually takes charge of all war, the High King is the ultimate commander and reserves the right to override or directly take control of an army, however this is rarely done and only shows itself in times of dire need or the inefficient rule by the council, which has been historically acted upon several times. It is considered a great dishonor to be subject to this, known as a Purge, and often these members are executed for treason against the greater benefits of mankind. These members rule for life, and are often of the Immortals, who show the greatest aptitude for warfare, however especially prodigal humans are not unknown to be elected into the council if they show the skill required and there is a position open. The Royal Armada The royal armada is the spacefaring navy that consists of thousands of void ships and takes utter control of space during times of battle. Consisting of dozens of classes of ships, all capable of faster than light travel if given charge of a voidshaper, these vary between small fighters and miles-long battleships and carriers known to be the downfall of entire civilizations with their incredible firepower and capability to destroy even entire planets in the bombardment. Those who show voidshaping capabilities are forced into servitude and interred within a void ship, often against their will, however it is a duty that is considered a great honor and these captains often are regarded as heroes of mankind for their sacrifice and capabilities of war. The main power of these ships are in the massive quantities possible to mobilize within hours of a notice being sent, and many are centuries-old relics of past war that continue their service until they are ultimately destroyed. The larger ships often carry dozens of sub light capable fighters, which protect the ship from smaller threats and harm. As a last resort, any ship directly controlled by a voidshaper is capable of detonation in an extraordinary explosion caused by the overloading of the engines, and it is not unheard of for the loss of a ship done in times of need by ramming into the middle of a navy only to detonate this way. Any who die in these heroic sacrifices are honored for their deed, and their family, if they have any, are rewarded with honor and supplies for their children's actions. This represents the selfless attitude most of the soldiers of mankind hold, for they are trained in the view that the needs of the race heavily outweigh the needs of one man. The unique ship of the High King, a millennia-old ship known as the ''Golden Lion, ''is the personal transport in times where the High King must travel or fight in the void. Considered the epitome of the Royal Navy, it combines the utter destructive capabilities of a Dreadnought with the speed of a Frigate, and is controlled by the voidshaper known only as The Lion of Earth. Long considered the most powerful single machine controlled by mankind, it is mobilized only in times of great need and commanded by his majesty himself. It holds hundreds of fighters as well as thousands of guns and other offensive tools, but is considered to be the only ship that cannot be lost at any cost, and must be protected to the very last man if the need is dire enough. The Royal Guard The Royal Guard is in charge of the protection of all nobles of mankind, most especially the High King. In this task, only the most elite of immortals and even some humans can be chosen. At any given time, there is rarely more than several hundred of these guard, with 50 being assigned to the High King himself and most nobles rarely having more than one or two at a time. These are the men with the highest caliber of skill, and their task is one of the most important in the entire kingdom, and they do it with honor and integrity above all. It is a rare and daunting task to assassinate a noble, with even a single immortal guarding him being enough for twenty trained normal humans, or even more. Only planetary lords and above are assigned one, and they are each seen as the epitome of those combatants that specialize on the ground. In the 20th millennium, the Royal Guard serve mostly as an honor guard when a lord wishes to enter battle. Despite their deceivingly small numbers, they are more than enough to defend their assigned charge, willing to give their life for the betterment of mankind. The Immortals Post-human and trained to perfection, Immortals are a special sect of Mankind that are the true epitome of what they are capable of. Genetically engineered through cloning and special surgeries, they are created from a base genome of High King Prosperus II and further enhanced through body modification, they are eternally housed in specially created suits of armor that essentially acts as an inorganic exoskeleton for these warriors. Although the genetic engineering and surgeries do not change, there are several worlds who host different varieties of armor that specialize in various tasks, and as such are composed of various different kinds of Immortals. These clones make up the most elite of soldiers mankind can field, and there are only about a hundred thousand in the galaxy at a time. Each year comes with new technology that brings these warriors even closer to perfection, whether it be by better cybernetic enhancement or through new breakthroughs of power suit technology. The Immortals are divided into various sects of specialization depending on which model of power suit they are interfaced with. An immortal from the planet Jarvan V, for example, is specialized in siege warfare and thus has much heavier armor than an immortal from the planet Nexus, which specializes in long range artillery. Regardless of this fact, they are all organized into special groups of several hundred that are known as Squadrons, and further divided through various means depending on the squadron in question. Most will have warriors of every branch of specialization which allows them to fully control any situation that comes their way on the battlefield, however this is not the case for every squadron. In addition, each is given the opportunity to host several different types of Paladin in their rank, their post-human brothers from the Immortal Faith to bring the King's Wrath directly into battle. Often working alongside the Army of Mankind, they are rarely fully deployed en masse as they are too valuable, instead in small groups of elite soldiers, with the ability and firepower of several dozen men. The technology used for creating Immortals was stolen from the United Coalition, based upon their genetic engineering technology, while the armor was created through trial and error to perfect it for surface combat. However, this fact is kept secret that only those long-dead engineers that created the technology, given remnants of those that were pillaged from razed planets of the United Coalition. Each planet used in the production of those specialized sets were admitted the resources to independently research these special suits of armor to develop a more efficient suit for their needs. In addition, they are hosted by many types of unique and powerful vehicles to more effectively address their needs in combat, and Immortals are seen as the mirror image of the High King, serving in his glory as eternal combatants of the Long War. They are revered by all humans as to be divine emissaries of Him. Under the rule of even more powerful leaders who excel not only in combat, but in leadership quality as well as ability to execute tactics and strategy at the best possible ability. The Army of Mankind The Army of Mankind is the name given to the utterly massive reserves of manpower that the Monarchy has available at any given moment. Well-trained in both combat and mental fortitude, the Army stands to protect mankind against anything that threatens its dominance in the galaxy. As the first line of offensive and defensive action in human space, they are the single most influential force of military might that mankind has to offer. From vast, millions strong armies to thundering tank columns, they are shipped lightyears away from their homeworlds to unheard of places to fight long and grueling battles. Most Throne Worlds have their own special brand of soldiers that, like the Immortals ahead of them, specialize in various aspects of warfare. As the Royal Tithe is made in the form of manpower and material alike, there is never any shortage of recruits; any given human is a potential soldier for the glory of mankind. Ecumenopolis, entire city-worlds of uncounted population (usually nearing a trillion), are the most valuable despite their own reputation for being cesspools of violence and anarchy below the nobility of the world. Each world is given a tithe grade (some worlds, however, are absent from a tithe of manpower due to various reasons), and supplies the Army with both men and material to arm them. Armed with their trusty rifle and armor, they live and die in the millions for the High King's name. The Council of Technology Hidden away in secret laboratories across the galaxy, the Council of Technology is given the task of developing new and exotic inventions to help the effort of establishing dominance. With such successes as the development of the Immortals and their creation, they are arguably the second most important council behind the Council of War. Even in the 20th millennium, they are developing new forces by the year and do not slow in the slightest for any cause. They are the direct controllers of the Forge Worlds, which are the industrial centers of Mankind and produce all sorts of war machines for the endless army of mankind.